Amazing book! If you haven't read it, definitely put it on your aim to read list. Hilarious and romantic :) ( )

Super quick read - I read this on a plane ride from Tampa to Chicago. Cute, predictable, but exactly what I was looking for (both in a movie like this, and to make a more relaxing trip home). Not a lot of character development for really anyone, and since I've seen the previews for the movie, I didn't get to build the characters myself, like I would normally in a novel. But still cute... ( )

Diana Peterfreund’s Morning Glory is the novelization of the movie of the same name, written for the big screen by Aline Brosh McKenna. It’s obvious from the start that Peterfreund, a successful novelist, is working within someone else’s parameters — and that’s what makes this one so tough to review. As Erin at Lit Snit so articulately asked, “Where does one person’s creation end and another’s begin?” Basically, this wasn’t originally Peterfreund’s story or characters — so can we really evaluate her?

The premise of Morning Glory appealed to me on one serious level: my sister, a video journalist, worked as a production assistant for a major news network in Washington, D.C., this summer. For several glorious (and painful) months, Katie regaled my family with tales from behind the scenes — and we came to both laugh and shake our heads at the whole “production” of news. My dad is a longtime reporter and sportswriter; I’m an editor and columnist. The media is the family business, if you will. And since Kate and I have been dying to see the film since first getting a glimpse of the preview, I figured I should check out the book.

Summing up my feelings on this one as succinctly as possible, I’ll say this: it was entertaining and quick, but lacked any real depth — emotional or otherwise. As much as I knew I should be in Becky’s corner, rooting her on against the big wigs at IBS, I never connected with her enough to stand in her cheering section. She didn’t feel like a friend — or even a coworker. She felt like a distant acquaintance of my sister’s at Channel 9, someone about whom I’ve heard funny anecdotes but never actually met.

It wasn’t hard to believe her only recent dates had ended in complete disaster — after all, the woman lives on her BlackBerry. As addicted as I am to checking my smartphone, who interrupts a man on their first date so she can take a series of phone calls? Answer: a very busy, addicted woman. I loved Becky’s dedication to her job and admired her tenacity, but it was pretty clear that girlfriend had some serious issues with just letting go and cutting loose now and then. Her work was literally her life. After getting up at 1:30 a.m. for a decade, she didn’t know any other way. And I wanted Adam, her love interest, to show her that way . . . but she didn’t want to let him. It was a hot mess.

Still, this wasn’t a terrible read — and the message was pretty clear: don’t let work become overwhelm you and become your everything. Because at the end of the day? You’re not going to be growing old with your boss, health insurance plan or vacation days. (And if you are? Well, that’s another issue entirely.) Is that something we’ve heard and read before? Sure. Was it told in a unique way here? Not really. But even with that being the case, I enjoyed Morning Glory and can’t wait to see the film. ( )

I read the book because I am a fan on Diana Peterfreund's series Secret Society Girl, and I'm a little excited about the movie.

One thing I like about Peterfreund's books are that I can generally read them in one day and love them. This book I was a little hesitant as it is adapted from a screenplay and as another review put it who do you blame for things that bothered you? One thing was when Becky was becoming passionate the person she was talking to you say, "Are you going to start singing?".

Looking forward to watching the movie and I am curious to see how closely Peterfreund stayed to the screenplay. ( )